Abstract
At airports, civil aviation meets its permanent companion: civil protest. Airports are under pressure to grow to meet air transport demand and stay competitive. In wide public perception, this interferes with their commitment to Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and sustainability goals. This article examines the new business environment for airports and proceeds to investigate the past and present of regional expansion conflicts at Frankfurt Airport, Germany. A very violent history of confrontation in the region has changed stakeholder approach culture, but recent years have again seen the rise of a new, well-organized anti-growth protest movement which uses confrontational tactics. The author discusses the operator’s strategy to counter the substantial opposition to its expansion by a communication campaign to generate visible public support for the airport, and analyzes broader CSR efforts which may help to avoid potential conflict escalation. The article concludes with eight recommendations for socially responsible airports. Keywords: Advocacy campaigns, airport expansion, air transport, community relations, Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), environment, Frankfurt airport, Germany, growth, m ateriality assessment , noise, opposition, protest, stakeholder relations, sustainability, violence FULL TEXT PDF only in English (toggle language: upper right hand corner)
Highlights
Despite many challenges in profitability and harsh competition, the air transport industry is a continuously growing sector
In the EU, tourism accounts for five percent of total employment and GDP; not all tourists travel by air, but the catalytic impact is still large (Airports Council International (ACI) Europe, 2004)
Frankfurt Airport is by far the biggest airport in Germany, as it counts almost 50 percent more passengers than at the second-biggest rival, Munich (ADV, 2012)
Summary
Despite many challenges in profitability and harsh competition, the air transport industry is a continuously growing sector. The International Civil Aviation Organization predicts the number to rise to 50 million by the year 2030 (ICAO, 2013). This means many new airport facilities will be needed. At the heart of conflict is, the enormous burden which an expanding airport places on its surrounding resident communities in the name of greater public benefits to the region and national economy. Using the example of Germany’s Frankfurt Airport and connected pro- and counter-expansion initiatives, the social responsibility of an airport will be examined. Key terms in an airport’s relationship with its business environment are sustainability and social responsibility. Sustainability of airports includes fields like economic profitability, operational safety, and ecological-environmental responses to air operation impacts and regional society (BAC, 2009). Journal of European Management & Public Affairs Studies 2014 towards the welfare and interests of the society in which it operates” (Business Dictionary, 2013)
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